Philip K. Dick Adaptations

The 5 Best Philip K. Dick Adaptations

A master of head-trip thought experiments that pushed science fiction to its most philosophical and political extremes without losing the pulp sensibility of genre entertainment, Philip K. Dick is one of the most important sci-fi writers of his or any generation. Constantly playing with concepts like monolithic all-powerful corporations, alternative universes, altered states of consciousness and corrupt authoritarian governments, Dick made an indelible mark on the genre that ensured it would never be the same after he was done with it. He was also a bit of a madman whose personal life was scarred by the paranoia, schizophrenia, drug use and transcendental hullabaloo that frequently flavored his writing. Still, his 44 published novels and 121 short stories are something of a ground zero for sci-fi fans interested in sampling the genre at its most intellectually satisfying.

Inevitably, Dick’s work found its way into Hollywood, and, ironically, the first film based on his writing was released mere months after his death in 1982. Still, his work has been a major source of inspiration over the last 30 years in filmmaking, with movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind being unthinkable without his influence. There are a handful of direct Dick adaptations as well, almost all of them interesting, if not necessarily faithful. Today, a new version of one of his short story adaptations, Total Recall, hits screens.

It would be nice to think that this would be a more challenging and faithful adaptation than the Schwarzenegger romp, but given that it comes from Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman, that seems unlikely. Regardless, we thought we’d take this opportunity to take a look back at the five finest Philip K. Dick adaptations to hit big screens so far. Not all of these are slavishly faithful adaptations, but at least they all strike that balance between pulp and ideas that Dick loved so much. (Don’t worry, Paycheck most certainly did not make the cut.)

5. The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

This underrated little film is barely a year old and takes huge liberties with Dick’s short story "Adjustment Team," but George Nolfi’s directorial debut quietly became one of the best Dick adaptations. The central concept of a secret society that ensures all of the events of the world follow a set path remains, and it’s an undeniably intriguing paranoid fantasy. Nolfi whips up some fairly extraordinary imagery, like how the team uses doorways as a means of traveling great distances instantly, as well as a few fairly ridiculous conceits, like the magic fedoras that allow them to do so. Still, this brainy, tense thriller would no doubt make Dick proud despite the occasionally silly moments.

Based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," this film was originally intended to be a faithful adaptation by David Cronenberg; instead, it ended up starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and being directed by Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop), and turned into a campy R-rated blockbuster with Arnie kicking ass and checking out three-boobed aliens on Mars. Admittedly, it’s one of Schwarzenegger’s best and Verhoeven tries to retain some of Dick’s concept by suggesting that perhaps all of Arnie’s adventures were purchased as a virtual vacation. However, given how difficult it is to buy Arnold as an Everyman, that’s an afterthought at best. This shouldn’t even be considered a great Dick adaptation, but it’s just too much fun to ignore. It will be tough for the remake to top the entertainment value of Arnie’s version, so hopefully they’ll explore the author’s original intentions instead.

If you only know Philip K. Dick’s work from the movies, then A Scanner Darkly might seem a bit out of place given the shift of focus away from explosions, one-liners and gunfire. That’s because director Richard Linklater’s bizarro rotoscope animated feature is the most faithful and oddball Dick film of them all. The story is about an undercover special agent trying to infiltrate a drug ring that has paralyzed the population with a new drug called “Substance D." This disturbing, trippy and deliberately confounding flick is probably the movie that best captures Dick’s distinct tone of uneasy paranoia combined with conspiracy-tinged sci-fi. Shame about Keanu Reeves playing the main character and the animators’ inability to paint an actual performance onto his face, but what you gonna do? At least some particularly manic Robert Downey Jr. support offers enough acting for two.

Fuzzy-hearted humanist Steven Spielberg might seem like the least likely person to mount a cynical Philip K. Dick thought experiment (especially starring Tom Cruise), but that’s exactly what happened in 2002, and it remains possibly Spielberg’s most underrated achievement. Cruise stars as the leader of a pre-crime police force who arrest criminals for crimes before they happen thanks to an enslaved trio of psychics. Sounds strange, and it is, with Spielberg cranking out a surprisingly fascinating sci-fi action flick and Cruise effectively playing a depressed drug addict. It works as a pure thrill ride and is filled with bizarre Dick asides and observations (such as personalized public advertising) to tickle the author’s fans. The only downside is that once the movie reaches a natural bitter conclusion, Spielberg tags on a useless happy ending. I suppose you can always shut off the disc at the logical end to avoid disappointment.

1. Blade Runner (1982) There’s only one movie that can top this list. Hollywood’s first Philip K. Dick adaptation remains the best. Based on the author’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ridley Scott’s dystopian epic stars Harrison Ford as a mercenary who kills renegade androids and Rutger Hauer as a philosophical android who leads a team to meet their maker and try to expand their lifespan. The film elegantly explores Dick’s philosophical themes, while Scott’s iconic production design creates a gritty, rotting, overpopulated urban environment that perfectly visualizes Dick’s cynical worldview. A genuine sci-fi masterpiece that forever changed how the genre was depicted on film, much like what the author did on the page. If you only ever see one Philip K. Dick adaptation, this is it. The chances of anyone getting the freedom and resources to adapt the author’s work on this scale again are sadly about as likely as anyone answering the title question of his book.